William C. Mann
November 17, 1953 – July 10, 2023
Bill Mann, a beloved friend to many, passed away on July 10th at Kobacker House in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 69. He was surrounded by loved ones.
Bill was born in Norwalk, Ohio, the son of Abraham and Shirley (Bobbi) Mann. Bill was one of the founding members of the Norwalk Community Development Corporation, a company providing funding to promote economic growth in the Norwalk area. Among the people Bill admired the most were General George Patton, Civil Rights leaders Rosa Parks and John Lewis, Robert Kennedy and all the NASA Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts.
Bill graduated Cum Laude from Case Western University in 1976 and received his J.D. in 1979 from the University of Dayton School of Law. While at UD Law, Bill was named the Best Oral Advocate in each of the four rounds of the school’s Intramural Moot Court Tournament.
After law school, Bill clerked at the Ohio Supreme Court for his mentor and life- long friend, Justice Andrew Douglas. Upon leaving the Ohio Supreme Court, he practiced law for over forty years in numerous law firms, partnerships and associations. His legal counsel was highly respected and relied upon by many.
He was a member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, a member of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Professionalism Commission and served as a Trustee on the University of Dayton Law School’s Alumni Board. Bill was a former President of the Central Ohio Association for Justice and a two-time recipient of the COAJ’s President’s award. He also received the COAJ’s Slugger’s Award, given to an attorney who hit a home run for justice. He was truly the antithesis of all lawyer jokes.
We will always remember his observations about both the law and politics. He often expressed how much he appreciated the judges that were grateful to have been elected. He said that judges who are grateful that they have been elected are much easier to appear in front of than judges who had assumed that they would be elected.
He also shared his two rules for politics with his friends and colleagues. The first he said was that “in politics you eat sh*t.” When the laughter eventually stopped he would be asked what the second rule of politics was and he would say “Rule number 2 is that in politics there is no limit to rule number one.” Bill’s love of the his friends, the law and politics knew no limits either. We are so grateful for all of the ways in which he cared for his friends, his colleagues and his clients. He was truly a great American.
He could be found most Fall Saturday afternoons rooting for THE Ohio State University Buckeyes with friends or his German Shepherd Thor and cat Banzai. He will be remembered for his wit, humor, intelligence, his voracious love of books, but mostly for his tremendously big heart.
Bill is survived by a multitude of self-chosen brothers and sisters. He was preceded in death by his parents, Abraham and Bobbi Mann and his sister, Jan Mann-Fuller. There will be a celebration of Attorney William C. Mann at a later date, where his friends will share stories, laughter and toasts remembering his witty repartee.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Kobacker House or the Columbus Public Library Foundation.
Arrangements by O’Shaughnessy Co., 614-221-2311
